Review: PASSION UNLEASHED

Passion Unleashed by Larissa Ione
Read by Renée Raudman
Book 3 of Demonica series
Genre: urban fantasy erotica
Format: audiobook

About Passion Unleashed:

FORBIDDEN TEMPTATIONS

Serena Kelley is an archaeologist and treasure hunter - and a woman with a secret. Since she was seven, she's been the keeper of a powerful charm that grants her health and immortality . . . as long as she stays a virgin. But Serena isn't all that innocent. And when a dangerously handsome stranger brings her to the brink of ecstasy, she wonders if she's finally met the one man she cannot resist.

FATAL DESIRES

Wraith is a Seminus demon with a death wish. But when an old enemy poisons him, he must find Serena and persuade her to give him the only known antidote in the universe-her charm. Yet, as she begins to surrender to his seductions and Wraith senses the cure is within his grasp, he realizes a horrible truth: He's falling for the woman whose life he must take in order to save his own.

Source: Info in the About Passion Unleashed was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4701550-passion-unleashed on 31/02/2012.

Review:

I was really disappointed with Book 1. And then I was even more disappointed with Book 2. But I still continued on reading with this series... there must be something about the series that keeps me reading... or it's just me being an urban fantasy geek... or me being such a sucker for punishment.... Anyway, this book is Wraith's story. The angsty, tortured brother... and I so like tortured, angsty hearoes. After having gone through the disappointment of Book 1 and Book 2, I thought that it couldn't possibly get any worse.... that was an optimistic outlook. The characters has gotten even more too stupid to live (TSTL). So much so that I rooted for the enemy demons to eat her so that she gets what she asked for! The holes in the world building is still there. The plot however is not as holey as Book 2 was. At least that is something. The narrator's voice is not as easy to the ears as Therese Plummer's is but I got used to it towards the end.

This is the third book in the series and by now I believe that I have a firm grasp of this series. It is just chuck full of TSTL characters and I am not the most tolerant of readers. Sad to say that this series is not for me.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 1.5
Character development = 0.5
Story itself = 2
Ending = 2
World building = 2
Cover art = 2
Pace = (12 hrs and 12 mins listening time)
Plot = 2
Narrator = 2

Overall Rating: 1.5 out of 5 cherries

Review: DESIRE UNCHAINED

Desire Unchained by Larissa Ione
Read by Hillary Huber
Book 2 of Demonica series
Genre: urban fantasy erotica
Format: audiobook

About Desire Unchained:

Pleasure is their ultimate weapon . . .

Runa Wagner never meant to fall in love with the sexy stranger who seemed to know her every deepest desire. But she couldn't resist the unbelievable passion that burned between them, a passion that died when she discovered his betrayal and found herself forever changed. Now, determined to make Shade pay for the transformation that haunts her, Runa searches for him, only to be taken prisoner by his darkest enemy.

A Seminus Demon with a love-curse that threatens him with eternal torment, Shade hoped he'd seen the last of Runa and her irresistible charm. But when he wakes up in a dank dungeon chained next to an enraged and mysteriously powerful Runa, he realizes that her effect on him is more dangerous than ever.

As their captor casts a spell that bonds them as lifemates, Shade and Runa must fight for their lives and their hearts-or succumb to a madman's evil plans.

Source: Info in the About Desire Unchained was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4497978-desire-unchained on 31/02/2012.

Review:

I was quite disappointed with Book 1 and expectation bar is now quite low. I did not think that there would be much listening enjoyment in this one any more than Pleasure Unbound had. In a way I was wrong and in some ways I was right. But I continued following this series anyway because one, I already have the books in my TBR shelves. And for another, first books are not always brilliant, so I can't condemn the entire series with just one book specially seeing that this series has so big a following. There must be something in there that is worth following. Anyway, Runa, our female protagonist was doing really well until the end where she turned stupid all of a sudden. I blame this on the author's blatant manipulation to create a dilemma in the story so that our hero could save the world rather than a character development flaw. Or it could be both. Still, pretty pathetic plot building skills there. However, I am a fantasy geek girl to my soul so the vampires, werewolves and other fantastical creaturese in this world speaks to me. The world of the Demonica script has so much potential in it even with it's huge gaping hole in the world building that I am still compelled to read on...

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 2
Character development = 1
Story itself = 1.5
Ending = 3.5
World building = 2.5
Cover art = 2
Pace = (10 hrs and 51 mins listening time)
Plot = 1
Narrator = 3

Overall Rating: 2 out of 5 cherries

Review: PLEASURE UNBOUND

Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione
Read by Cassandra Campbell
Book 1 of Demonica series
Genre: urban fantasy erotica
Format: paperback, audiobook

About Pleasure Unbound:

In a place where ecstasy can cost you your life...

Tayla Mancuso is a demon-slayer who hungers for sensual pleasure-but fears it will always be denied her. Until Tayla Mancuso lands in a hospital run by demons in disguise, and the head doctor, Eidolon, makes her body burn with unslakable desire. But to prove her ultimate loyalty to her peers, she must betray the surgeon who saved her life.

Two lovers will dare to risk all.

Eidolon cannot resist this fiery, dangerous woman who fills him with both rage and passion. Not only is she his avowed enemy, but she could very well be the hunter who has been preying upon his people. Torn between his need for the truth and his quest to find his perfect mate before a horrific transformation claims him forever, Eidolon will dare the unthinkable-and let Tayla possess him, body and soul...

Source: Info in the About Pleasure Unbound was taken from GoodReads at http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2679633-pleasure-unbound on 24/02/2012.

Review:

As first impressions go, Cassandra Campbell's voice is real professional even if I don't agree with all of her interpretations of the book. And that impression lasted all the way through the ending. But despite the wonderful narration, this book started out slow for me even with the easiness and convenience of an audiobook, that I abandoned it twice to pick-up another book to read/listen to. The opening volley just isn't very catchy. Or maybe it is just my interest that couldn't be reeled in by doctors trying to save lives they really want to kill. No, that medical drama is overrated. However I like their modified caduceus though. Now that, is inventive! Which speaks of an interesting world building.... Interesting, but got a big whole in it.

The premise of this world is that there is a supernatural community hiding in plain sight among ordinary humans and that there is a guerrilla war going on between the demonkind and the humankind. The way this world is presented, is that the supernatural beings are very prolific, they are everywhere. And nobody slipped up after all these centuries? These millions of supernaturals and humans-in-the-know never slipped up all these time? No traitors on both sides whatsoever? No money-grabbing, self-serving among their ranks who sees an opportunity to better themselves by betraying supernatural secrets to the rest of the world? Somehow that is not believable. Unless there is a great big spell that prevents everybody from doing so, which there isn't. So that is one great big gaping hole in the world building that could swallow the grand canyon whole. That sank the suspension of disbelief to the bottom of the ocean! And that is not the only hole, just the biggest one. However, if you get past that and ignore the grand canyon hole, the world building is wonderful! It is full of vampires, demons, werewolves and every interesting fantasy elements living in our everyday world! Fantastic!!

Another downer for this book is that Tayla, our heroine, is too stupid to live (TSTL). Not only once, but repeatedly stupid with stunted sense of self-preservation! Yet described as a kick-ass demon hunter who survived a tough childhood and tougher work as a hunter for years on end. Which is really difficult to believe because if she acts as stupidly as she does in the story she ought to be dead a long time ago... That knocks the suspension of disbelief two more rungs lower. And there is just too many contradictory elements for the character development to rate any higher than 2, not to mention annoying!

Now I know that first books in a series are not usually the best so I will give this series another try and hopefully the next book would be better.

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 2
Character development = 1
Story itself = 1.5
Ending = 3.5
World building = 2.5
Cover art = 1
Pace = 1
Plot = 3
Narrator = 3

Overall Rating: 2 out of 5 cherries